Square from a Daoist robe

This square is designed to be stitched on the back of a formal robe for a Daoist priest to wear at ritual ceremonies. It is embroidered with symbols of Daoist cosmology. The wearing of these symbols was thought to imbue the priest with the miraculous powers of the cosmos. Such a decorative back piece is among the most visually spectacular works of Daoist ritual art.

This design presents a central roundel with a tower surrounded by clouds and cranes. Above the central roundel are three arch-formed roofs representing the three Daoist realms of Jade Purity, Highest Purity, and Supreme Purity. At top left is a symbol of the sun, depicted by a fl aming roundel with a mythical bird inside. Opposite, on the right side, is the moon with a rabbit making medicine. Other designs include large golden disks, lingzhi (literally "supernatural mushrooms"), clouds, and phoenixes.